The Kidnapping
by oh-snap-it's-her
Summary: What if Voldemort didn't kill Lily and James...he kidnapped them? The Order is now working relentlessly to get them back. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Ok, so my other story isn't getting any reviews, which is seriously getting me depressed, so I'm going to ditch it for now and work on this one. Hopefully this is more appealing to you guys, and you will read and review. Now about this actual story. This is AU, and I know on my profile it says I'm anti-AU, but I decided to give this story a try. In this story, Voldemort doesn't kill Lily and James, he kidnaps them.**

**Disclaimer: Snape won't brew me Polyjuice Potion, so I can't become JKR as of right now. Unfortunately, the HP universe is still in her possession. Someday, JKR, someday.**

Voldemort swept into the room where his Death Eaters were waiting. They all cringed at the sight of him. Voldemort smiled to himself. There was nothing like a bunch of followers, stumbling over themselves to obey his wishes, at his disposal.

Voldemort sat at the head of the table and regarded the assembled Death Eaters with cold and humorless eyes. They all averted their eyes nervously when he looked at them.

The silence stretched on for what seemed like hours. Finally, Voldemort spoke.

"I trust you all have heard the prophecy?"

The Death Eaters all nodded silently, still not looking at him.

"Then you should all know that the child in question is Harry Potter," Voldemort continued. Again, most of the Death Eaters nodded. Voldemort, satisfied, sat back in his chair.

Severus Snape, who looked as cool and composed as always, spoke up. "Dumbledore has moved the Potters into hiding. Their Secret Keeper was Sirius Black, like we thought, and they did indeed change to Pettigrew."

The man mentioned cowered in the corner. Voldemort stared into Pettigrew's eyes and did what most Muggles would call "mind-reading."

"Second guessing your obedience to me, are you, Pettigrew?" Voldemort asked silkily.

Pettigrew let out a squeak, like the rat he was.

Voldemort exhaled slowly. "I shall kill the child tonight."

Some of the Death Eaters gulped. If someone was looking closely, they could see a flicker of fear go through Snape's eyes. It was gone almost as fast as it had appeared, though.

"My—my Lord," Lucius Malfoy spoke up.

"Yes?" Voldemort asked.

"My Lord, I thought that the child didn't have to be Harry? What of the Longbottom's boy?"

"The Longbottom's boy—Neville, I think he's called—is no threat to me. It is the Potter boy I want."

Snape had turned slightly paler than normal. "But, my Lord," he said, sounding slightly desperate. "Surely there are other ways to get the boy besides killing?"

"I need him dead, Snape. Are you going soft? The prophecy said that Harry had the power to vanquish me. I cannot have a threat to my power right now. Pray tell me, Snape, another way to conquer the Potter child besides death?" Voldemort was annoyed that his most faithful servant didn't see on his terms.

Snape licked his lips. "Lily—Lily Potter was a good friend of mine at Hogwarts."

"Your past is behind you. Your future is now. With me."

"Please, my Lord!" Snape pleaded. "Don't kill Lily!"

"I need to do what I need to do, Snape," Voldemort said, his voice dangerously sharp. "If Lily and James get in the way, so be it. It's their own fault. I'm only after Harry."

Snape looked desperately into Voldemort's eyes. "Please, Lord," he whispered in a hoarse voice.

Voldemort pursed his lips. "Very well. I will do what I can. But you are in great debt to me. And know that you _will_ pay off that debt.

Snape breathed a sigh of relief. Anything to help Lily.

**A/N: First chapter…pretty short. They will get longer. I just needed to set the basics. READ: check. REVIEW: well, you want to complete the job right? To get a check, push that little button right down there. Good.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you! I got my first ever review this story! I'm motivated :). Next Chapter!**

**Disclaimer: My birthday's tomorrow. I will wish for the Harry Potter universe when I blow out my candles. But I will have to wait just one more day.**

Voldemort strode briskly down a long winding street. It was Halloween, and bunches of costume-clad children ran from house to house laughing and trading candy.

One little boy dropped his bucket of candy on Voldemort's foot.

"Oh, I'm sorry—" The boy's words trailed to a stop when he looked into Voldemort's livid face. The boy did the safe thing. He ran away.

It took all of Voldemort's self-control not to hit the boy on the broad, unexposed part of his back with a "stray" jinx. Unfortunately, Voldemort had a job to do. He had to hurry and get it over with.

Voldemort turned and approached the last house on the street. Just days ago, before Pettigrew ratted—no pun intended (Voldemort did not like humor)—on his friends, Voldemort wouldn't be able to see the cozy little cottage. Now, however, he could see the olive green door, the curtained windows with flowerboxes blooming with gorgeous flowers underneath.

Voldemort approached the door and hesitated. Normally, he would've blown open the door without a second glance. But he'd promised Snape that he wouldn't harm James and Lily. Blowing the door up would surely bring them running and he would have no choice but to kill them.

Voldemort settled for a less-dramatic _Alomohora_ instead.

The hall was dark. There was no sound throughout the entire house. Voldemort turned to the stairs.

The second floor was just as dark and quiet as the first. There were four doors. Two in the middle and one at the end.

A light was issuing from underneath one of the middle doors. The light darkened for a second, and Voldemort assumed someone was walking past it.

Voldemort pressed his ear to that door and could hear a deep voice, no doubt James's, saying, "—don't understand _why_, though Lily. It's not like they're going to—"

Voldemort moved away. Kill Harry and get out. Those words kept resounding in his head.

The second middle door was a bathroom. That left the one at the end. Voldemort crept closer.

The door opened easily. Inside, a cradle was set up in the corner. Harry was just visible, nestled in the blankets.

Voldemort stood over his potential enemy. "_Avada_—"

Then Harry woke up. He looked at Voldemort for a split second before he emitted the world's shrillest cry.

Voldemort stood there, wand still raised, mouth open in mid-incantation. The sound of the pounding footsteps of Lily and James spurred him into action. "Shut up, child!"

Harry paid no attention.

Lily and James burst into the room, wands aloft. Lily gasped when she saw who it was. James got a look of pure fury in his eyes. "_Perfectus_—"

"_Expelliarmus_!" Voldemort yelled before James finished the Full Body-Bind curse. James's wand flew out of his hand.

Lily's hand was shaking too much to do anything.

Voldemort turned to Harry to finish him off once and for all. Suddenly, Lily came out of nowhere. "No!" she yelled. "You can't have Harry!"

"Move aside, you silly girl," Voldemort said, irritated at the way this mission was going. "I can't very well kill Harry when you're standing there."

"No!"

"I just sent a Patronus to Dumbledore," James said, his voice icy and deadly quiet. "Give it up. The Order's coming any second."

Voldemort let out a huff of exasperation. Then, with one annoyed glance at Harry, Voldemort grabbed both Lily and James and Apparated on the spot.

**A/N: Voldemort with attitude! Haha. The best birthday wish I could ask for would be a review or two.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you to my wonderful reviewers. I love you guys! Next Chapter is up! **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, would I be writing Fanfics? No, I'd be rolling in money, getting scholarships to everywhere imaginable, and basically living an easy life.**

They arrived at the Malfoy Manor. Voldemort cast a Full Body-Bind on both Lily and James and was levitating them through the gates.

He reached the front door, still seething at the escape of Harry Potter. How could a mere infant manage to get away from the all-powerful Lord Voldemort?

Voldemort had no answers, but he _did_ have Lily and James. Maybe something good would come out of this…

Lucius Malfoy opened the door. He looked at Voldemort with wide eyes. "My Lord! What brings you here—"

"Are you questioning my motives?" Voldemort asked. He was not in the mood to argue. "I have Lily and James Potter."

Lucius' eyes grew even wider as he noticed the frozen, but still glaring as best they could, forms of Lily and James Potter.

"What—what do you me to do with them?" Malfoy asked tentatively, as if dreading the answer.

Voldemort studied the Potters thoughtfully. "Torture them, cause them pain… I don't know. But you have a dungeon beneath your manor, am I correct?"

Malfoy gulped. "Er…yes. My Lord," he added quickly.

"Well, that's perfect then. Lock them up. But _do not kill them_! Do I make myself clear Lucius Malfoy?"

Malfoy looked from the Potters to Voldemort fearfully. "Yes, my Lord."

X.x.X.x.X

An emergency meeting was called at the Malfoy manor later that night. All of the Death Eaters showed up.

Voldemort started the meeting. "I did not kill the Potter boy."

The Death Eaters all exchanged apprehensive glances.

"I was forced to spare him because Lily got in the way." Here, Snape looked down into his lap. "But I did capture Lily and James," Voldemort continued. "They are locked up beneath us as we speak. And locked up they shall remain."

Snape glanced up at Voldemort fearfully.

Voldemort spread his arms. "But, my Death Eaters, I have other ways as to get the Potter child. It will take years, but patience is a key virtue. If Harry is anything like his parents, this will be easy."

The Death Eaters looked excited. "What is it, my Lord?" Yaxley asked.

Voldemort lifted his chin. "Well, it's simple. Harry Potter will come to know of his parents' fate in due time. He will come looking for them, I guarantee it. Then, I will finish him off."

"But, my Lord," Goyle said hesitantly. "Why not just go out and finish him off now? He can't escape twice, surely, and his parents are out of the picture—"

Voldemort slammed his fist on the table. The Death Eaters jumped. "_Because_, you fool! Do you think the Order is going to let Potter grow up without defenses? He's obviously being targeted by me, and Dumbledore and probably the rest of the Order know about the prophecy! It will be impossible to get him! Our best bet is to disperse the Order. And to do that, we need them to let their guard down, let them think that there's no threat!"

Snape, his voice slightly croaky, said, "But, my Lord! What about 'Voldemort', the biggest 'threat' in the nation? In the world?"

Voldemort smiled silkily. "What Voldemort?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Next chapter. This one is not in Voldemort's POV.**

**Disclaimer: These are fun to write. I mean duh I'm not JKR. The absurdity of it all makes me smile every time.**

Dumbledore, followed by the other people of the Order who had been on guard duty at the time James's Patronus came (Arthur Weasley, Edgar Bones, and Dorcas Meadowes) ran into the house in Godric's Hollow after finding the door unlocked ("Not a good sign," said Dumbledore.). The trick-or-treaters had long since left the streets, so the mob of strangely-dressed people went thankfully unnoticed.

Sirius Black caught up with Dumbledore. "You don't think…?" Sirius looked at Dumbledore imploringly, unable to finish his thought.

Dumbledore reached the stairs, panting and out of breath, mostly due to his old age. "We will soon find out, Sirius. Though frankly, I cannot fathom a happy outcome."

Sirius looked devastated. "It's all my fault! I told them to switch Secret Keepers!"

"Sirius, this isn't your fault," Dumbledore said, climbing up the stairs two at a time. "If anything, it's my fault. I should've been their Secret Keeper; should've pressed the matter harder. I let them choose their own Secret Keeper, and this is the outcome. I am very deeply sorry, to both you and Lily and James. But this isn't the time to talk about this. We will talk when this is all sorted out, I promise. Just hold on."

Dumbledore thrust open the first door: James and Lily's room. The light was on, but no one was in there. Dumbledore's eyes darkened with grief. "I fear we are too late."

"Maybe we're not!" Sirius contradicted. He sounded like he was desperate to hold onto any glimmer of hope, no matter how small, that James and Lily had somehow managed to beat the Dark Lord. "James is great at dueling, and Lily isn't too bad either, especially when it comes to protecting the ones she loves—"

Sirius' sentence was cut short and Dumbledore's hand froze an inch above another doorknob, by something that gave hope to everyone. The crying of an infant.

Sirius and Dumbledore glanced at each other, hardly daring to believe it. Everyone was quiet, barely breathing. Was it real? Did James and Lily really get away? Everyone stood stock still, so surprised that they didn't move. Then Edgar Bones said, "Blimey!" and everyone was spurred into action.

Dumbledore reached Harry's room first, the rest of the Order members on his heels. The room was somewhat destroyed, toys and books blown of their shelves. A large black scorch mark on the wall signified the remains of a hex or curse that had gone awry. But none of that mattered because Harry Potter had stood up in his crib, using the bars for support, very shaken but not at all hurt.

"Harry!" Sirius cried, picking up his godson and cradling him in his arms. "He lived!"

"But James and Lily aren't here! No bodies or anything!" Edgar Bones said hysterically. He tended to get over-excited easily.

Sirius felt like his heart had dropped. He felt numb.

Dorcas Meadowes carefully extracted Harry from his arms, but he hardly noticed. All he could think about was James. Prongs. One of the Marauders. Sirius' brother for over a decade. The only one who would not only put up with Sirius' shenanigans, but joined him in creating them. He couldn't be gone, he was too strong.

And Lily. James would do anything for her, and she for him. They loved each other, and they would do anything to make sure the other survived. So how was it that they both were gone? There was one explanation: they _weren't_ gone.

Sirius tried to make Dumbledore understand this. "They—they can't be—"

Dumbledore was studying the scorch mark on the wall with a critical eye. "Interesting," he murmured to himself.

Sirius felt like he was going to lose his mind. Why weren't they listening to him? They needed to find Lily and James, and all Dumbledore was doing was staring at a hole in the wall. "Don't you understand?" Sirius shouted. "_They're not dead! _Don't you care about them? About me? I need them, don't you get it?"

"Sirius, calm down," Edgar Bones told him hesitantly, as if he were scared that Sirius would lash out at him too.

"No, no, Sirius is quite right. They aren't dead." Dumbledore said in an infuriatingly composed voice. He was still examining the burn.

Sirius felt the anger drain out of him, replaced by hopelessness and exhaustion. "You—you think so?"

Dumbledore inhaled loudly and stood up, adjusting his spectacles perched precariously on his crooked nose. "Yes, I do. Let me explain. This mark was made by an Expelliarmus. Judging on the angle and position of this mark, it was made by someone standing by the crib. You noticed the door was unlocked? I highly doubt Lily and James left it unlocked, seeing how they are being pursued by the most wanted criminal of all time. That must mean Voldemort unlocked it. What surprises me is that he would bother with an Alomohora. Why not just blow the door down? He obviously doesn't have a heart, and has proven it. So, I have deducted that for some reason, he wasn't out to kill Lily and James. Only Harry, to stop the prophecy from happening. Therefore, I believe that he kidnapped Lily and James, but kept them alive."

Everyone stared at him in disbelief for a good thirty seconds.

Finally Arthur Weasley spoke. "How—how could you possibly figure all that out from an Expelliarmus mark on a wall? How are you even positive that that's a mark from an Expelliarmus?"

"I took a fancy to the Warlock Holmes mystery books when I was young," Dumbledore said dismissively. "I heard they even wrote a Muggle version of them. Not Warlock, of course. That would endanger the secrecy of the wizarding world."

Sirius wanted to know what had happened to his friends, not some mystery book tat Dumbledore liked. "But what about James and Lily? If Voldemort did kidnap them, where did he put them? What if he tortures them? Kills them?"

Dumbledore looked at a loss. "I don't know, Sirius. But I don't think he'd go through the trouble of capturing them just to kill them. He's using them, but we don't know how yet."

Sirius wasn't convinced. "But what if he brainwashes them? Will they even remember us?"

"Sirius, I will say this again. I haven't the slightest idea of what his plan is. I'm only human. I have as much knowledge on this matter as you do at this point."

"You're the greatest wizard of all time!" Edgar Bones contradicted.

"Oh, well, thank you, Edgar. You are most kind. But I really am only human. I have the knowledge of a human. Whatever Voldemort's planning can't be good, though. That much I can deduct."

Dorcas Meadowes was bouncing Harry on her hip to calm him down. "We will get your mummy and daddy back soon. You will be famous for escaping the Dark Lord, Harry. You will live happily ever after, just like in storybooks," she murmured softly.

Dumbledore crossed the room and lifted Harry's chin with his forefinger. "What will we do with you, Harry?"

"I'll take him," Sirius said immediately.

Dumbledore hesitated. "The thing is, Sirius, people will be targeting you when this ordeal gets to the papers. They know you were the Secret Keeper. Not many know that the Potters switched at the last minute. I fear both your safety and Harry's safety."

"We can perform the Fidelus charm!" Sirius said desperately. "I'll do every protection enchantment I can. Besides, where else does Harry have to go?"

Dumbledore didn't answer.

Sirius read the look on his face though. "Oh, no. No, no, no. You can't possibly send him to Petunia! I met her once, she's horrid!"

Dumbledore looked down. "I think it's best to get Harry out of the public, where both Voldemort and the Death Eaters can't get to him.

"Harry Potter, grow up a Muggle?" Edgar Bones asked with disbelief. "He escaped the Dark Lord! He could quite possibly turn out the greatest wizard of all time! Besides you, of course, Albus."

"He will go to Hogwarts in due time," Dumbledore said softly. "But right now, I think it best for him to be a child while he can. Before he becomes famous."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This will be in Petunia's POV because I think that she must be feeling pretty worried about her sister. I mean, it's her sister.**

**Disclaimer: I owned Harry Potter last night. Then I woke up. Turns out, it was just a dream. I am thoroughly depressed. **

Petunia scrutinized the peeling wallpaper in the kitchen in her home on Number 4 Privet Drive. The family of three had moved in not even two months ago, and Petunia was not yet finished with the refurbishing of the house.

Dudley wailed from his seat in the highchair, clearly unimpressed with his lack of attention. Petunia immediately abandoned her examination of the walls and scooped him up in her arms. "Oh, Duddykins. Shh, shh. Mummy's got you."

Petunia laid Dudley down in the living room, where he contented himself with playing with the brightly colored blocks that Lily had sent him for his first birthday. Petunia was inclined to throw them out right then and there (was it possible that she could've tainted them with her magic?), but Dudley had grown attached to them, and Petunia didn't want to deprive her only child of something that made him happy.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Petunia glanced at her watch and scoffed. Who had the nerve to come around at eight o'clock in the morning? Luckily, Vernon got up early or Petunia might've been still asleep.

Grumbling about inconsiderate people, Petunia made her way to the door and opened it just a crack.

"What do you want?"

"Petunia Dursley, I believe? Pleasure. I'm Albus Dumbledore." The speaker extended a wrinkled hand for her to shake.

Choosing to ignore the hand, Petunia squinted into the face of the stranger. It was an extremely old man, whose long hair and beard were pure white. Behind spectacles that were perched on his crooked nose, bright, intelligent blue eyes twinkled as if he knew something she didn't. But the thing that got Petunia the most was what he was wearing. He was wearing robes, like he came from the Medieval Times, or something.

Petunia recognized the signs of _Lily's lot_ immediately, and made to slam the door in the intruder's face. But, with strength that differed from his ancient look, Albus Dumbledore blocked the door from closing.

"I'd recommend you hear what we have to say, Petunia," he said in a serious voice. In a different tone entirely, he said, "May we come in? It's rather chilly this morning. Wouldn't want Harry to catch a cold."

Petunia didn't understand this Harry business, and was about to tell Dumbledore precisely that, but a new voice spoke.

"Doubt, she cares, Dumbledore." A man Petunia had not noticed at first stepped out from behind Dumbledore. His appearance was altogether disheveled, and, in Petunia's opinion, his hair was entirely too long.

Another person, a woman, walked up next to Dumbledore. She was tall, stern-looking, and also oddly dressed. She had a bundle of something in her arms. Sniffing disdainfully, the woman turned to look at the man who'd just spoken. "Sirius, that's a warning. We agreed to let you come here on three terms. You are respectful, you are—"

The man she was talking to just waved his arm dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get all worked up, McGonagall. You're going to cause more gray hairs than necessary."

"The gray hairs I _have_ are thanks to you, Sirius. Never, in all my years, have I taught such a disobedient crowd of—"

"Minerva, now is not the time. Settle your disputes after we've cleared up the mess. Understand that nerves are wearing thin after the night we've had," Dumbledore interrupted. "May we come in, Petunia?"

Petunia was frozen with shock, so she didn't respond. Apparently Dumbledore misinterpreted her lack of words as a warm welcome into her home, because he pushed past her and into the hall. Sirius and Minerva McGonagall followed.

Dumbledore and the others made themselves at home in her living room. Dudley looked at the strangers with mild interest before deeming them less interesting to the blocks still spread out in front of him.

"So," Minerva said, getting down to business, "about Harry."

"Who's Harry?" Petunia asked, her voice shaking slightly.

McGonagall looked horrified. "Your nephew, of course!"

"Told you so," Sirius said in a sing-song voice.

Dumbledore shot them both a look. "It seems as though your sister and brother in-law have gone missing."

"Missing?" Petunia repeated faintly. Surely, Lily, with her powers, could keep her from going _missing_.

"So you do _not_ know of their whereabouts?" Minerva clarified, giving Albus a meaningful look. They seemed to have a silent conversation.

"I hate it when they do that," Sirius grumbled, staring moodily down at his knee.

"To the second order of business," Dumbledore announced. "You are, of course, aware that your nephew has nowhere to stay."

That wasn't what Petunia was exactly thinking about, but they had those magic wands and she didn't, so she just nodded.

McGonagall held out the bundle of blankets, and Petunia realized with a jolt that it was a baby. Lily's baby. Petunia could tell because he looked exactly like her brother in-law, James, though she only met him a few times.

"What's that on his head?" Petunia asked.

Albus pursed his lips and touched the lightning-shaped scar on the child's forehead. "Dark magic," he said softly. "Dark, dark, evil magic. Magic that I myself can't even understand."

Judging by the looks on both Sirius and Minerva's faces, Dumbledore not knowing something was a rare and terrible thing.

Dumbledore sighed loudly and looked at Harry with a mix of expressions on his face. "On a lighter note of sorts, Harry is now legally under your protection."

Whatever Petunia had been expecting, it wasn't that. "_My_ protection? Surely there isn't someone else—"

"He has no other family. Your parents, forgive me for sounding frank, are dead, as are James'."

"God knows Harry'd be better off anywhere else," Sirius muttered not-so-quietly.

"Sirius," Minerva said sharply.

"But—but godparents?" Petunia asked desperately.

"That'd be me," Sirius piped up, raising his hand slightly.

"Who in their right mind would make _you_ a godparent?" Petunia asked before she could stop herself.

Sirius seemed to consider that. "James and Lily probably weren't in their right minds, to tell the truth. I'm not exactly 'godfather material'."

"There are certain complications, for a lack of a better term, that prevent Sirius to care for Harry at the time being. But I believe you would make a more than worthy substitute, Petunia," Dumbledore said. "Do you agree to take care of Harry?"

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Petunia asked dully.

"Nope!" Sirius said cheerfully.

Petunia huffed. "Fine. I will take care of Harry. But—but what about Lily?"

Albus Dumbledore looked uncharacteristically grave. "Our best guess at the moment is that they were taken by force from their home last night by a man by the name of Voldemort."

"Voldemort?" Petunia repeated. For some reason, the name filled her with the unmistakable sense of dread. Yet she was sure she had never heard that name before in her life.

"Voldemort," Minerva McGonagall said, staring out the window with a sad expression. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The most evil man alive. Brilliant wizard, understand, but terrible. He uses that brilliance in the worst way possible. He's a power-hungry snake that kills people purely for his own entertainment. Enjoys pain. Feeds on suffering." McGonagall met Petunia's wide, frightened eyes with her own eyes, though hers were full of pain. "I can handle almost anything. Anything, that is, except _him_."

"And this man, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, that is, has Lily? My Lily? Will she—will she—"

Petunia could not begin to describe the feeling she was having. Her sister, her Lily, Miss Perfect, Miss Can't Be Wrong Lily, was gone. Captured by this evil wizard that even tough McGonagall couldn't speak the name of. Petunia never thought Lily would ever be and danger. She was too nice, too loved, too _perfect_. The Lily she knew would never have been caught. It quite frankly scared Petunia to no end.

"Lily isn't dead," Dumbledore said, still in that sad, wistful voice. "But she is in danger of torture and pain like no other. We will do everything we can to get her back, but we had to let you know. We are terribly sorry about worrying you with all of this, and with Harry on top of it."

Petunia nodded, but she wasn't really listening. _Lily was kidnapped_.

Dumbledore stood up. "Thank you for your time, Mrs. Dursley. Good day."And with that, the trio of wizards stalked out of her house.

Petunia was still sitting on the couch, staring at the spot where Dumbledore had been sitting. Suddenly, she started crying. Her body was wracked with sobs, tears falling down her face freely. She did nothing to wipe them away. Lily. Lily was in trouble, and there was nothing she could do about it. She cursed herself for not being a witch, like Lily. It wasn't the first time Petunia had wished this, but before, Petunia wanted to be a witch so she could be perfect, like Lily. But this time, Petunia wanted to be a witch so she could go and save Lily, bring her back. Back to being Petunia's oh-so-perfect and annoying, but Petunia's all the same, sister.

Vernon found her on the couch when he came home. Still crying and staring the eyes that Harry had inherited from Lily. The only part of Lily left.

**A/N: I spent a LONG time on this and it would be appreciated if my work is acknowledged because I'm tired. Leave a review and I'll give you more story soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Love all you reviewers! I had to put an emotional chapter in there somewhere. It made me feel good to know I could reach out to you guys like that.**

**Disclaimer: If I didn't own Harry Potter the last five chapters, why should I start now? Oh yeah, I suddenly became JKR and now own the Harry Potter universe. *rolls eyes*. Yeah, I know. **_**Totally**_** believable, right?**

Elphias Doge was not having a good day.

It started off with getting to work late. Needless to say, his boss was displeased by Doge's lack of organization, and gave him three and a half inches of paperwork to "set his mind back on track." It did the exact opposite, however, and Doge found himself three hours later with a migraine and a desperate need for a cup of coffee.

So Doge stepped out of the office for a cup of coffee, only to find out that the vendor had run out.

Not liking the prospect of meeting his boss once again, Doge contented himself with strolling around the Ministry of Magic's Atrium.

It was there he met a very sleep-deprived Albus Dumbledore.

"Morning, Doge," he said. "Just going to get a cup of coffee. Long night, you know."

"Don't bother," Doge informed him. "The vendor's out. Why was it a long night?"

"Drat," Dumbledore muttered, ignoring the second part of Doge's statement. "No coffee? This hasn't been a good day at all."

"You didn't answer my question," Doge told him. They started walking toward the lifts. "Why was it a long night?"

Dumbledore studied the back of his hand thoughtfully. "Didn't you hear? I thought it would have gotten around by now," he said mildly.

"Albus…"

Dumbledore dropped his hand with a sigh. "Voldemort went after James and Lily last night."

Doge felt like a bucket of ice water had been dropped on his head. "Lily and James? But that's—how could he—what about the Fidelus Charm?"

"Seems as if Peter wasn't the friend James thought him to be. There's no other explanation. Pity, too. He seemed like a good bloke."

"Peter? But I thought the Secret Keeper would have been Sirius. He and James are inseparable!"

Dumbledore pushed a button to call a lift. "They switched Secret Keepers at the last minute. I advised Sirius to go into hiding, because people will think he betrayed the Potters, as you just did."

"And Lily and James? What happened to them?" Doge asked.

"Kidnapped," Dumbledore said gravely. "Harry was there. Alive, luckily. We found this after a more thorough look."

Dumbledore reached into his robes and drew out a wand. But it wasn't his wand, which was a deep brown. This one was a lighter brown, with whorls ingrained in the wood. Doge took it into his own hands and studied it.

"James' wand," Dumbledore explained. "Voldemort must have done the disarming charm, and the _Expelliarmus_ rebounded. There's a giant burn mark on the wall because of it."

"What did you do with Harry?" Doge asked, his voice thick with grief. He'd met the Potters at Order meetings, and they were the nicest people you could find. They also loved each other unconditionally, and loved Harry just as much.

"Lily has a Muggle sister named Petunia Dursley," Dumbledore said. "She agreed to take care of Harry."

"Poor little bloke," Doge said sadly. "One year old and without parents."

"Yes it really is quite unfortunate," Dumbledore agreed as they clambered onto the lift. "He will be watched over very carefully, though. We've already put protective enchantments around the Dursleys' house. He will be okay."

The lift clanked to a stop and Doge and Dumbledore got out.

"Well, it's been nice talking to you, Elphias, even though the subject was less than a happy one," Dumbledore said.

"Yes. See you around, Albus," Doge said, already walking into his office.

Doge half-expected his boss to swoop down on him with armloads of work to be sorted out, but what Doge encountered upon his entry was even more surprising.

A giant party.

His coworkers were laughing and crying at the same time, hugging each other in joy. What shocked Doge even more was his boss, his surly, annoying boss, standing on a chair with a cup of coffee in his hand, laughing like a maniac and proclaiming a toast to the new future of the world.

Doge stood there in shock. Suddenly, Elizabeth Goodhart, one of his coworkers, came up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Oh, Elphias!" she yelled over the commotion, her blue eyes shining. "This is it! This is the beginning of a new world!"

Confused, Doge touched the spot where Elizabeth had kissed him. "What is this about?"

"_The Daily Prophet_! It just got delivered a few minutes ago. Here, read this!" She snatched up a newspaper that lay abandoned on a nearby desk and held it out for him to see.

Doge read it with disbelieving eyes.

_** Last night, at half past two in the morning, Voldemort went out to kill Harry Potter, son of Lily and James Potter, where he lived in Godric's Hollow. Little did he know, he would meet his downfall. "Voldemort had put me and my wife under the Imperious curse. That's why we were Death Eaters. He tried to kill Harry Potter last night, but the curse rebounded upon himself, and he died right then and there. The boy wasn't even harmed!"That's right! Voldemort is dead! More information on page 3.**_

Doge handed the paper back to Elizabeth, who was beaming ear to ear.

"Excuse me, Elizabeth, I must tell my friend about this," Doge muttered, turning to the door.

"Go ahead!" Elizabeth replied rapturously. "Tell the whole world! Voldemort's dead!"

X.x.X.x.X

Dumbledore wasn't hard to find with his star-spangled blue robes. Doge ran up to him.

"Did-did you hear?" Doge asked, wild-eyed and out of breath.

Dumbledore looked grave. "Yes."

"Is it true? What of the Potters?"

Dumbledore looked at the Ministry employees who were beginning to receive word of the defeat of Voldemort. "I don't know if it's true. We shall see."

**A/N:Done! Review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Couple things. First of all, I know it's been a long time since an update (sorry!). Blame it on my track coach. And teachers, too, I suppose. However, I wanted to be clear on a something a couple chapters back. I said Harry still had his scar. I know that it really shouldn't be possible, but Harry without a scar is like peanut butter without jelly or a story without a review (hint hint nudge nudge :)). I'll work it into the plot somehow (I know, that's what you want to hear from the author of a story). Bear with me.**

James was her only comfort in the long days of torture and agony.

Likewise, Lily was the only thing that kept him going.

They sat huddled in the dungeon of the Malfoy manor, using each other for support when things got rough. They had nothing to do during the endless days of imprisonment except talk to each other and wait.

Wait for the next round of torture to come. Wait for their freedom. Wait just for the sake of waiting. It wasn't like they had anything else to do.

A hooded Death Eater had just left the dungeon, and James crawled over to Lily, who was curled up in a corner.

"Lily," he croaked. His throat hurt just from talking. "Lily, are you okay?"

She looked up at him, her beautiful green eyes filled with tears. "I don't know. When will it end? What will happen to us?"

It broke James's heart to see her like this. Lily deserved the best, the very best. She shouldn't be curled up in a dungeon, unable to move because she had stuck by her beliefs and therefore had been tortured mercilessly by Death Eaters. His Lily shouldn't have to put up with that.

"I don't know," James said, wishing he could tell her differently. "I don't know anything."

"The Order must be doing something to get us back, right? Are we important enough?" Lily asked, accepting James hand that pulled her into a sitting position. "James, I can't take it anymore."

James was quiet for some time. "They will help us. Soon, Lily. Just hold on."

Lily dug at the dirt on the floor. "I hope so."

X.x.X.x.X

Sirius was back to pacing the floor at Grimmauld Place. His parents had died, and Regulus had gone off to serve Voldemort, so Grimmauld Place was in his possession.

Sirius hated this place. He hated the elegant draperies hung on ornately decorated walls. He hated the thick, well-designed carpets that muffled all footsteps. He hated all of the memories that had been lived within these walls.

Now, he was pacing in the kitchen, back and forth, angrily awaiting the Order to arrive for a meeting discussing the supposed end of Voldemort. The Order had met earlier in the week, and had decided that Voldemort was faking his own death. There were many theories that the members of the Order had come up with backing up this hypothesis, but no one knew which suggestion to fall back on. Dumbledore had been working for days, relentlessly searching for some clue as to what Voldemort was up to, but there had been nothing.

That wasn't the only thing bothering Sirius. Besides having no information, Sirius also had no idea of the whereabouts of James and Lily. They had no possible idea of where they were, and given the fact that James's wand had been found at the premises of the attack, and Lily hadn't broken out of captivity yet, Dumbledore had concluded they were wandless and in trouble.

"Of course they are wandless!" Sirius had scoffed when Dumbledore had brought that up. "Voldemort would have to be even more daft than we thought if he let his captives keep their wands!"

Overall, Sirius was angry, frustrated, worried, sad, and sullen.

It had taken a lot to keep Sirius from running out and killing Peter Pettigrew immediately. Dumbledore had spent hours coaxing Sirius to stay put, and when Sirius still wasn't convinced, friendly requests turned into harsh threats.

The front door banged open, startling Sirius to the present, and voices began to poor into the house.

"Constant vigilance, lad!"

"Mad-Eye, don't scare my son."

"Not scaring him, Molly, I'm preparing him. Dangerous world out there—"

"Were you not able to find a sitter, Molly?"

"Bill's at Hogwarts. Normally he takes care of the younger ones. And Muriel is sick, poor woman—"

"I'm _not_ young!"

"Younger than me, Percy. I'm ten. You're only six!"

_ "Almost seven!"_

A large crowd of people burst into the kitchen. Molly and Arthur, with their youngest kids, Mad-Eye Moody, Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, Dorcas Meadowes, Edgar and Susan Bones, and many, many more.

Dumbledore sat down at the table, waiting for everyone to get settled. Molly was arguing with her kids to leave the room, and Mad-Eye was yelling "Constant vigilance!" to anyone who would listen, so it took awhile, but eventually, everyone had quieted down and the Weasley kids trekked glumly out of the room.

"Reports, please," Dumbledore said.

Report after boring report was read, all of them bearing the same message: nothing.

Finally, the reports finished and Dumbledore started the actual meeting. "I think that we should focus on getting James and Lily back." Sirius lifted his eyes hopefully. "Face it, we won't know anything new about Voldemort, so we've got to stop dwelling on it. Lily and James should be our main priority right now."

"How will we get them back if we don't know Voldemort's status?" someone asked.

"They obviously don't have wands, so they have no means of telling us if they are even alive!" someone else piped up.

"What about a Patronus?"Sirius asked suddenly.

The woman who had just spoken, her name was something like Ingrid Feirbad, rolled her eyes. "Did you hear me? I just said they had no wands. No wands, no Patronus." She said it like she was speaking to a particularly dimwitted five year-old.

"I know that!" Sirius growled irritably. "I wasn't talking about like that."

Dumbledore furrowed his brow in contemplation. "Pray tell, Sirius, what you mean exactly."

Sirius frowned. "Someone sends them a Patronus—"

"They can't respond!" Ingrid intervened.

It took all of Sirius' willpower not to curse her. "Like I was saying, we could send a Patronus telling them to do a specific thing if they were in a specific place."

"I'm not following you," Arthur said.

Remus' face alighted with understanding. "Oh!" he said. "That's brilliant!"

"What is?" the Order members all said in a frustrated unison.

"Like, we give them a list of options. If you are being held captive in, say, Bellatrix Lestrange's house, tell the Death Eaters that our headquarters are in, oh, I don't know, the Leaky Cauldron. That way we know Lily and James are being held captive in Bellatrix Lestrange's house. Get it?" Sirius looked around hopefully.

"That is pretty ingenious," Molly admitted.

"And easy, too. But if the Death Eaters find that our meeting place isn't the Leaky Cauldron, like in your example, won't they punish Lily and James for feeding them false information?" Dorcas Meadowes asked.

"But we will be there," Lupin replied, his eyes lighting up as he warmed up to this plan. "We put a person or two in each place we list, that way they trust the Potters. And they don't get hurt."

Dumbledore conjured a piece of parchment and an ink bottle onto the table. "We best get started."

**A/N: Read and Review! Also, give me suggestions. And corrections for the ages and stuff. I wasn't entirely positive when I wrote them down.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Not much feedback from the last chapter…I hope I'm doing as well as I started out…Anyway, all I can say is review!**

**Disclaimer:**

**Me- "Hey, Mom, guess what I did today?"**

** Mom-"What?"**

** Me- "I became J.K. Rowling and took over the Harry Potter universe!"**

** Mom *looks at me with annoyance*- "Go clean your room."**

** So, yeah, still don't own, but on the upside, I have a clean room.**

The dungeon door creaked open, and Lily and James instinctually cowered in the corner.

A Death Eater sauntered in. "How are our prisoners this fine autumn morning?"

"Just peachy," James said through gritted teeth.

"That's no way to treat your superiors," the Death Eater responded. His face was covered partially with a hood, but judging by the sickeningly cheerful voice, James and Lily obviously shouldn't expect to share the falsely happy feelings. "Do you need a lesson? Or perhaps I should just take back this food?"

Lily's eyes trailed to the bowl that had gone unnoticed before then in his hand. "No!" she exclaimed frantically, for they had had nothing to eat for two days now. Or at least, somewhere around two days as time was clearly not a priority of the Death Eaters, and they didn't provide them with clocks like a civil person would've. "Don't!"

The Death Eater's fingers let the bowl slip through them, and the bowl smashed against the concrete floor, spilling a lumpy gray substance that could, by loosest definitions, be classified as oatmeal. The oatmeal splashed all over the floor and on Lily's outstretched hands.

"Oh dear," the Death Eater said in a clearly unapologetic voice. "Oops."

The Death Eater laughed, a mirthless, gruesome sound, and took great care to step on both Lily's fingers and James's ankle as he exited the dungeon. The door clanged shut behind him, and the distinct click of a lock sounded afterward.

Lily stared at the oatmeal that was both oozing on the floor and clinging to her own hands. "James?"

James was letting loose a string of colorful profanity that he had picked up from Sirius, and, at the same time, rubbing his bruised ankle.

After about thirty seconds of this, Lily tried again. "Uh, James?"

"—son of a—"

"JAMES!"

James looked mildly surprised to find her sitting there, glaring at him, as he looked up. Lily was even more irritated at that, as they had spent the last week or so in only each other's company, and that looked like it wouldn't change for a while.

"Yes, Lily?" James asked, plastering that innocent look on his face that fooled no one. "Is something wrong?"

Lily stared at him incredulously. "Oh, no, James, love, we have only just been kidnapped by a freaking lunatic, and we are currently locked in a dungeon, getting food every other day, and the food we have received is now splattered all over the dungeon floor!" Her voice rose with every word until she was practically shouting. "No, nothing's wrong at all!"

James studied his wife's furious face with a thoughtful expression. "Giving the manner and tone you delivered that lovely speech in, I'm going to say you were being entirely sarcastic, and in truth, a _lot_ of things are wrong."

He did the smart thing and ducked away from her hands which looked like they were in the perfect position to strangle him. "Just kidding, Lily," he hurriedly added. "Old Marauder habits die hard. You know that."

Lily ignored him and gestured to the puddle of oatmeal. "What do we do about _that_?"

"Eat it? I dunno. How hungry are you?" James asked, eyeing the oatmeal with obvious repulsion written clearly on his face.

"Starving," Lily said reluctantly.

James crawled over to the lumpy mess. Then, gulping as though he was going to regret this later, he reached out a finger, scooped up some mush, and stuck it in his mouth. Then promptly gagged.

"Is it…edible?" Lily asked nervously.

Forcing himself to swallow, eyes streaming from the grossness of it all, he choked out, "Sure. It's delicious. The kind of gourmet meal that we all want!"

Lily too took some and ate it. "It's not that bad," she tried weakly, after forcing herself to swallow. "Oh, come on, James," she snapped after receiving an annoyed look from James. "It's food. The only food we're going to eat for a while. Deal with it."

Soon, the oatmeal was mostly gone, and James and Lily leaned against the wall for support. "That was gross," James simply put it, after a few seconds of silence.

Suddenly, a bright light lit the room. Lily covered her eyes and cried out in shock. When the light dimmed, James was shocked to see Sirius' Patronus, a dog, sitting in the middle of the room.

"We'll make this quick. The Order has this plan, that, I must add, I made up, to get you out of wherever you are. Dumbledore wants me to cut this short, so right to the point:

"If you are in Bellatrix's house, feed the Death Eaters false information that our forces are at the Leaky Cauldron. If you are at the slimy Snivellus' house, tell them we're at the Three Broomsticks. If you are at—"

And on and on the list went, until it ended with: "Uh, if you aren't in any of these places, though I can't imagine that because we named half of Britain for you, then tell them we are in the mountains surrounding Hogwarts. Well, Dumbledore's giving me looks to cut this short, so I'm going to say good bye. I'm already on probation for trying to kill Wormy. So, Cheerio, then!"

The dog vanished, leaving a very shell-shocked Lily and James behind.

Finally, James broke into a wide grin. "Brilliant!"

"What do we do?" Lily asked.

James rolled his eyes. "For coming out top of our class, you ask some stupid questions. We tell the Death Eaters that the Order is meeting at the Burrow! Then we get rescued!"

The couple settled back, and, for the first time, they looked forward to the torture bestowed upon them.

**A/N: I'll be honest. I've lost motivation for this story. Thanks to the wonderful anthony37, who never fails to review, and AmandaMau, who comes in a close second, I've kept up this long. I'm not sure if I'll continue this…let me know what you think. Either way, a review or two would be nice. There's this button—right down there…press it and see what wonders it opens up. For me at least :).**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you to my reviewers…I've never had this much feedback before for a story. Granted, I've only written two stories, but hey, I'm optimistic.**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I'll let you know when I own this.**

"This is it!" James whispered excitedly, wriggling in anticipation. He looked like a kid in a candy shop, not something you'd normally see on a grown man's face. Especially a on a grown man's face that is about to be mercilessly tortured. But these were weird times, so Lily didn't dwell on it.

They had just heard the first signs of an approaching Death Eater: the steady and rhythmic _click_-_clacking_ of the Death Eaters shoes on the concrete stairs as they descended.

"Do they wear heels or something?" James asked, as the clacking got nearer, his excitement making him crack corny jokes. "They make more noise than you, Lily, and you when you walk in heels, you wake up Harry."

"Harry…" Lily whispered. "What do you think they've done with him? Do think he's still…you know—alive?"

James didn't get a chance to reply, because just then, the lock clicked open, and the Death Eater entered the room.

"Hello, Potters!" he said in a malicious voice. "Guess what we're doing today?"

James smiled. "How'ya doing? I would love to guess, but my deduction skills aren't exactly in tip-top shape, if you know what I mean. Just ask Lily. She's lived with me long enough to realize this."

Lily nodded in agreement. "They're absolute rubbish."

The Death Eater looked confused at the Potters' amiable attitudes. Normally, they were cowering in the corner in fear. Nevertheless, he was the one with the wand, so he stayed in control. "We're attacking the Order of the Phoenix," the Death Eater said, looking quite smug.

"Are you really?" James asked, unconcerned. "Do you know where they even meet?"

The Death Eater grinned. "That, kiddos, is up to you to tell us."

Lily rolled her eyes. "There is so many things wrong with that sentence. First of all, we aren't _kiddos_. We are over twenty, both of us. Kiddos? No way. Second, why would we deliberately tell you where the Order is meeting? That's absolute rubbish. We will never give it away."

"Who said it was going to be deliberate?" the Death Eater asked in such a voice that made Lily's blood run cold.

Lily stayed strong. "We won't tell you," she repeated coolly.

"_Crucio_!" the Death Eater screamed.

Immediately pain racked Lily's body. Her scream mingled with James' scream, who, though they planned it, found it equally as hard to watch his wife's convulsions.

"We'll tell you!" James yelled.

The Death Eater lifted the curse. Lily lay shaking on the floor. "What did you say, Potter?" he hissed in triumph.

"We'll tell you!" he repeated.

"No, James!" Lily cried. "We can't!"

The Death Eater pointed his wand at Lily again, but before he could cast the spell, James screamed: "The Burrow!"

The Death Eater lowered his wand. "The Burrow?" he repeated, saying it like it was a foreign word. "What the bloody hell is that?"

"Ottery St. Catchpole," James gasped. "Ever heard of it?"

"'Course I bloody well heard of it, what about it?" This conversation seemed to be seriously working his very scarce brain cells.

"There're these hills, right, surrounding Ottery St. Catchpole? And past that, the Burrow…Weasley's house. Weird looking place, you can't miss it. They will be meeting today."

"James!" Lily murmured in a daze. "Why'd you tell them?"

The Death Eater cackled in delight. "Goodbye!"

He swept from the room to tell his master what information he had attained.

James crawled over to where Lily was sitting and drew her into a hug. "Who knew you were such a good actress?" he murmured into her hair. "Ever consider life on the stage?"

"Maybe," she replied. "But I have a husband, see, and he requires all my time."

James laughed softly. "Yeah, I guess that makes it kind of hard."

X.x.X.x.X

Ted Tonks and Dorcas Meadowes, along with Arthur Weasley, were sitting at a table set up in the Burrow's yard. They were on call for the Malfoy manor. Dorcas was trying to come up with a nickname for the trio, but no one else spoke. They were too anxious.

"The mean, green, Malfoy-manor-possibility machines!"

Ted shook his head. "They're getting worse and worse, Dorcas. Why don't you give it a rest?"

"Ever the diplomat," Dorcas said cheerfully, painfully unaware of Ted's attempt to get her to stop talking. "Ooh! The 'Three Double M's'!"

Ted groaned and dropped his head into his arms.

"Good try, mate," Arthur whispered as Dorcas explained that the double m's stood for Malfoy Manor, and the three represented the three of them.

"Did you hear anything of the Voldemort fiasco?" Arthur asked.

"No. The _Prophet's_ gone strangely silent after that interview with Malfoy. No new information. I think that leans to our point."

"What do you mean?" Dorcas asked, pausing in her rant about names and engaging herself in the boys' conversation.

"Think about it," Ted said, lifting his head from where it had dropped into his arms. "If it really was true, what they're saying about Voldemort being gone, and all that rubbish, they would've done everything they could to get the information. The inside tidbits, and such."

Dorcas shrugged. "_Prophet_ reporters are rubbish, Ted. Doesn't mean anything."

"They're rubbish, yes, but they are…shall we say—_ambitious_. Find a good story, they search and search it, then type the same story millions of times, until they cannot possibly extract any new information. Their silence means there isn't any more news to be found," Ted explained.

Arthur looked thoughtful. "That _is_ pretty peculiar. I think you might be right. There is one thing, though—"

What that one thing was, the other two never found out. Because just then, there was a loud crack, and immediately, the Caterwauling Charm that Dorcas had had the foresight to perform started to activate, tearing through the air with a high-pitched shriek. About seven Death Eaters appeared, all bearing wands pointing directly at the trio's hearts.

"I didn't think we'd actually get attacked," Dorcas muttered as the three of them scrambled up and fumbled with their wands.

"When has anything actually ever gone our way?" Arthur replied.

"Why have you come here?" Ted asked the Death Eaters. "This is an Order meeting. Skilled Aurors will be getting here soon to meet. Is it wise that you should come here, right into the hands of famous witches and wizards?"

"You underestimate us, Tonks," one of Voldemort's followers spat. His hooded cloak masked most of his face, concealing his identity."Filthy Mudblood. We'll kill you first!"

One of the other Death Eaters rolled up his sleeve, revealing the Dark Mark branded into his skin. Then, with a finger quivering with excitement, he pressed the Mark, summoning his master.

X.x.X.x.X

Miles away, Harry Potter woke with a cry. Soon, the cry became a full blown wail.

Petunia groaned and turned onto her stomach. Next to her, Vernon gave a loud snort as he woke up.

"Petunia, control the vermin!"

"Vernon, is it fair to call him a vermin? He's only one year old."

The wails continued. Petunia moaned again and pulled herself to her feet.

"You were the one who wanted to keep the child," Vernon reminded her as Petunia looked under the bed for her slippers. "There were so many other places you could have put him. An orphanage, for example."

Petunia straightened up long enough to fix her husband with a glare. "He's Lily's son. My nephew. We _have_ to take care of him."

Drawing a robe close to her chest, Petunia left the room and went into the nursery, where both Harry and Dudley were sleeping. Vernon had been all for shoving him under the stairs, but Petunia refused, knowing that first of all, when they got Lily back, she would kill Petunia if he had been mistreated, and second of all, it gave Petunia less ground to cover when caring for the boys.

Dudley had inherited Vernon's sleeping patterns, and was slumbering undisturbed through Harry's piercing cries. Petunia dropped her hand on Dudley's head before she turned to Lily's son.

The boy was pale, and his chubby hand was covering the lightning bolt scar that zigzagged across his tiny forehead. His hair stood out even more from the pallor of his skin.

Petunia scooped the boy into her arms and took him downstairs, lest he manage to wake Dudley. Petunia bounced him on her hip, offered his teething rings, and even got desperate enough to try to give him one of Dudley's toys (Vernon would have a fit if he found out), but nothing calmed Harry. He went on screaming, hand refusing to part company with his forehead.

Petunia noticed this. "Did you hurt your forehead?" she asked, though of course Harry didn't answer.

Petunia took him into the kitchen and sat him on the table. Very gently, Petunia lifted his hand off of his forehead, and examined the boy thoughtfully.

His scar seemed more vibrant red than usual, but Petunia put it down to the fact that his skin was so pale that the contrast was more substantial. But when Petunia touched the scar, Harry screamed with renewed force.

"So it _is_ your head." Petunia went to the freezer and took out an ice pack. She held it against the boy's head, and his screaming dwindled down to choked sobs.

"Poor boy," Petunia said softly. "We'll get your mummy and daddy back soon. Lily will know what to do. She always knows what to do in weird situations like these. I'm not a good parent. Lily would be. She's better than me at everything."

For a second, she was lost in her own thoughts, and didn't notice Harry's drooping eyes until his head dropped onto her shoulder, fast asleep.

"Poor boy," she murmured.

X.x.X.x.X

Voldemort appeared at the Burrow almost immediately. He knew he was throwing away his whole "Voldemort's dead" cover story, but that didn't matter. The blasted Order of the Phoenix had been causing him too much trouble for too long. He needed to get rid of them, and as soon as possible. Now was the perfect opportunity.

At the same time, Arthur had sent a Patronus to all of the teams, scattered across most of Britain. They needed all the people they could get for a job like this.

When Voldemort arrived, he promptly sent a Killing Curse flying across the yard, causing Ted Tonks and Arthur Weasley to dive under the table to avoid getting hit. Dorcas was doing a weird sort of dance that consisted of whirling around, throwing Stunning Spells over her shoulder, ducking and dodging curses thrown at her, and casting Protection Charms whenever necessary.

It was three on eight, not an even match at all, especially if one of the eight was Voldemort himself, but the threesome held their own. The arrival of Dumbledore, Moody, Edgar and Susan Bones, Benjy Fenwick, and Gideon and Fabian Prewett really turned the tables in their favor.

"Ingrid and Sirius have gone to free Lily and James!" Dumbledore said to Arthur while ducking under a Killing Curse.

"Ingrid and Sirius? Are you sure that's wise?" Arthur asked, knocking out a Death Eater with a Stunning Spell.

"Oh, given the situation, I'm sure they'll manage to work it out," Dumbledore replied jovially, a spell Arthur did not recognize soaring out the end of his wand and hitting a Death Eater in the chest.

"You bloody liar!"Susan Bones yelled. Her wand had been blasted out of her hand, but she had still managed to pin Lucius Malfoy down, and was now sitting on his chest. She had punched him in the face, and, despite her sweet demeanor, her eyes were blazing with fire, and Malfoy looked downright terrified. "You lied! You—told—the—_Daily_—_Prophet_—that—Voldemort—was—gone!" She accentuated each word with a punch to the face.

Edgar Bones, who was battling Bellatrix Lestrange a few yards away, laughed gleefully. "That's the way, Susan! I'm so proud of you!"

It wasn't long before most of the Death Eaters were Stunned, unconscious, or dead. Soon, only Voldemort was left. He faced a calm-looking Dumbledore.

"So this is it, Dumbledore?" Voldemort whispered, taking in all of his immobile followers while still watching Dumbledore carefully. "This is what it all comes down to?"

"You won't be hurting anyone else tonight," Dumbledore said calmly. "We will never stop fighting for what we believe in."

The Order members all gathered around Dumbledore, lining up and pointing at Voldemort with their wands. All except Moody, who was in a Full-Body-Bind curse and glaring at them all, magical eye whizzing around in the socket.

Dumbledore studied them with twinkling eyes. "We all love each other. We will fight to save those who we love."

A strange expression crossed Voldemort's face, but he shook his head, as though getting a thought out of his head.

"The Potters," Dumbledore continued, "Were willing to die to protect their son. We are ready to die to protect each other."

Then, several things happened in quick succession. One, Moody broke free of his Full Body-Bind Curse. Two: Ingrid, Sirius, and the Potters arrived. And three: Voldemort let out the most dreadful, sickening scream known to man.

"What—?" Edgar Bones asked thickly, blood streaming from his nose. He looked utterly bewildered, as did most of the people in the Order.

"Lily!" Susan shouted happily. "James!"

The Potters were bombarded with hugs and pats on the back. Everyone forgot about Voldemort, even though his piercing screams still filled the night air. Only Dumbledore studied him, getting that calculating look in his eyes that meant he was thinking fast and hard.

Finally, the screams stopped, and Voldemort toppled over, unconscious or dead, no one could tell.

"What happened to him?" Gideon Prewett asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust as he gazed at the limp body of Voldemort.

"Ever heard of a Horcrux?" Dumbledore asked after a long pause. "Part of a being's soul in another object, to give you the brief outline."

"Is that what Voldemort did?" Fabian Prewett asked.

"Yes. Though Voldemort did it not just once, but seven times. There is only one way to get rid of a Horcrux: you have to feel sincere remorse for what you've done. That is what Voldemort has done. He has felt remorse, and therefore, his Horcruxes are no more."

"Is he dead?" Moody asked gruffly.

"I'm not entirely sure," Dumbledore responded lightly. "It is possible, of course, more than possible, but regardless of what has happened, Voldemort won't be hurting anyone else."

**A/N: Review, please! I think there will be one more chapter after this to wrap up all those loose ends or whatever. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Last Chapter! Thank you so much to those who've stuck with me this whole story…I know it probably wasn't easy…**

**Disclaimer: I'm not blond, I'm not British, and I'm not even in high school! Please tell me how I can possibly be J.K. Rowling.**

"This the house?" James asked, gazing skeptically at the pristine gardens and perfectly painted fences.

Lily studied the green door of number 4 Privet Drive. "Yeah. I guess. Number 4, right?"

James referred to the scrap of parchment in his hand, on which Dumbledore had scrawled the Dursley's address in his elegant, loopy handwriting. "That is correct."

Lily shook her head. "It's just like Petunia to settle down here. Honestly, there's no room for imagination!"

She led James up the carefully-lain brick path that wound its way to the front step. On the porch, there were two white rocking chairs that moved gently in the light spring breeze.

Lily raised her fist to knock. While they waited for someone to answer the door, Lily went over to the chairs. "I've always wanted one of these," she said thoughtfully. "They're so peaceful, don't you think? It's the epitome of happiness."

James furrowed his eyebrows. "Er…okay. Whatever you say."

The door suddenly swung open. A large, mustached man appeared, apparently very angry. "What do you want? We don't want anything you have to sell!"

"We're not sellers," James said, obviously miffed. "You know that because no one in their right mind would sell something to you."

"James," Lily warned. She placed a hand on his arm. "I'm Lily, Petunia's sister."

If possible, Mr. Dursley's face got even redder. "Oh. _Her_." He said it with as much contempt as possible, practically spitting out the word.

James, ever the protective one, drew himself up to his full height and glared at Mr. Dursley with such a look that he took a fearful step backwards. "And _what_," James growled, his hazel eyes flashing, "is that supposed to mean?"

"L-listen here, young man, this is my house, I will not a-allow you…" he trailed off when James bristled.

"Youngman? _Young_ _man_?" James spat. "I'm twenty-two, and a father. Don't 'young man' me!"

There was a clatter of footsteps from within the house. A second later, Petunia appeared. "Wha—what's going on?" Her eyes widened. "Lily!"

"Hey," Lily said sheepishly. "I'm back."

Petunia started crying and ran forward to hug her sister. Lily was so surprised at this sudden display of affection that she staggered backwards a few steps. "Hey, Petunia…it's okay."

Pulling herself together, Petunia stepped back and smiled widely. "I thought you were killed! That Dumblely-man said you were kidnapped, and I thought of all the terrible things I've said to you, and what if I never made up with you, and you'd died, and—and—"

Petunia couldn't go on due to the fresh stream of tears making their way down her cheeks.

Vernon and James stared at each other in open-mouthed disbelief. Both of their wives' were acting quite abnormally. Though it was clear the two men had nothing in common, they were united in this mutual belief: woman were weird.

"Petunia, I _didn't_ die," Lily said earnestly, her own eyes filling with tears. "Besides, you must have gone barmy if you thought you could get rid of me that easily."

Petunia let out a small, choked laugh, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

They hugged again, and when they pulled apart, an awkward silence settled over them all.

"So…" James began, swinging his arms at his side.

"Oh my goodness!" Petunia exclaimed suddenly, turning and running back into the house.

Her sudden departure took them all by surprise. "Er…all I said was 'so'," James said uncertainly. "I didn't know that actually meant something."

A second later, Petunia was back, bringing with her—

"Harry!" Lily cried.

Harry whipped around in Petunia's arms to find his mother's voice. Upon sighting her, he squealed excitedly and reached for her. "Mummy!"

Lily took her son from her sister and hugged the little black haired boy tightly. "Oh, we missed you so much!"

James wrapped his arms around his wife and son, completing the family circle that had been disbanded for so long.

Vernon had gone inside, but Petunia still stood uncomfortably a short distance away, wanting to witness the family being united again, but at the same time not sure if she should be privy to something like this.

Despite herself, Petunia smiled a bit, because she knew that the family was complete once more, and nothing could break them apart again.

**A/N: Finished! I can switch the thingy to 'complete'! I want to thank, once again, my wonderful reviewers (anthony37 and AmandaMau and Yami Tenno 3) who made this story possible and kept me motivated! You guys rock! Go get yourself a chocolate chip cookie!**

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